The number of women undergoing labiaplasties in the US is rising and it's worrying

It's baffling to us that any woman should feel so dissatisfied with the way she looks 'down there' that she considers going under the knife. Because that's the thing about vaginas; they're not all meant to look the same.

How many penises have you seen that look identical? I'm going to bet none. We all know they come in different shapes and sizes, and so does our genitalia. Plus, neither male or female sex organs were designed to look pretty, were they? That's what our faces are for.

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So it's worrying that the number of labiaplasties - a cosmetic surgery procedure to make the labia minora (the inner lips) more symmetrical - has shot up in the US over the past couple of years. Although the American Society of Plastic Surgeons hasn't released official figures on the matter, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery claims that 400 girls aged18 and under underwent the risky procedure in 2015, a shocking rise of 80% from the 222 procedures carried out in 2014.

And although in the grand scheme of things, given how many people live in America, those numbers aren't catastrophic, they're still high enough to warrant concerns from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that young women aren't being educated enough on what's 'normal'. Which is, well, nearly all of us; however 'it' looks.

Among the guidelines, which actually point out that there is no scientific definition for enlarged labia - e.g. it's not a thing, medical professionals are advised that "when adolescents seek medical treatment, the first step is often education and reassurance regarding normal variation in anatomy, growth, and development."

Our vaginas are private, that's the only reason we worry about whether they look 'normal' or not

And that is SO important. Our vaginas are private, which is the only reason we worry about whether they look 'normal' or not. If everyone went around covering up their noses, we'd probably worry about whether our nostrils were in the right place, or whether your gender of choice will find that bump you've got attractive. But we don't, because we see noses every day. We know they all look different; some are larger than others, and that's fine.

It's not a one-size-fits-all. Because how boring would that be?

Also in the brilliant guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is a recommendation that prospective labiaplasty patients first receive counselling, and an "assessment of the adolescent's physical maturity and emotional readiness" prior to any surgery taking place. It is also suggested that "individuals should be screened for body dysmorphic disorder".

It's reassuring to see medical professionals in this area making a strong statement that there are very few circumstances under which a woman might need a labiaplasty to alter the aesthetic of her vagina. It's an issue deeper than that, likely connected to self-image and body confidence; and hopefully that's something which can be solved without having to go under the knife.

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